I had two reasons to be excited about this trip. One, I had never been to Bay St. Louis. Two, I had never even known how stained glass was made. So when I heard The Arts Studio of Hancock County was hosting a stained glass bat class just in time for Halloween, my daughter and I turned it into a mother-daughter weekend.
Meet the Makers
This class came from two local makers teaming up. Laurali is the owner of Danglez and More, and Gail owns Perfectly Imperfect Glass. Together they taught a class of 16 participants how to make a stained glass bat from start to finish.
How a Stained Glass Bat Gets Made
Spoiler: it takes a lot longer than I expected! Thankfully, a couple of the pieces had already been prepped for us.
Start with a template. We each got a pattern to follow.
Cut the glass. We practiced on a test piece first, because this is the hardest part. You use a tool to score the glass, and you really have to listen to make sure it’s cutting. Then you use a pliers-type tool to gently snap off the piece. It is not as easy as it sounds!
Grind the edges. Once the pieces were the right shape, we took them to a grinder, a machine with water that sands down the cuts. It smooths out those imperfect edges.
Wash and scrape. We cleaned everything up and scraped off the template.
Add the copper tape. This was surprisingly tricky. You have to keep the tape completely even on both sides, then press it flat with a piece of wood.
Solder. This was the fun part! Okay, maybe not welding exactly, but the smaller version of it. We used a hot tool to melt metal onto all the creases and copper. It was hot, I definitely used too much, and I loved it.
Finish it. We added chains for hanging and cleaned it one more time. Then came the optional step: patina, which turns the metal black.
My Advice: Patina It!
I skipped the patina, and once I got home I regretted it. My daughter did hers, and it looks great. If you take this class, do the patina.
Where We Stayed and Ate
If you’re making the trip, here’s what worked for us:
Driftwood Motel: a cheaper, easy place to stay. They had door codes, so there was no checking in with anyone, which I really appreciated after a five and a half hour drive.
Mockingbird Cafe: we had breakfast here, and it was the perfect start to our morning.
We’ll Be Back
I wish we’d had more time to explore, because everything in Bay St. Louis looked like the cutest little beach town. Between the creative community and the charm, we can’t wait to come back for another event.
A big thank you to Laurali and Gail for sharing their craft with us. If you love learning something new, keep an eye on The Arts Studio of Hancock County for their upcoming classes.
Want to see more of my adventures? Follow along for more Makers of Mississippi!
